Levetiracetam for Epilepsy User Reviews (Page 5)

• Lynn
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 10, 2022

Keppra (levetiracetam) "I took this medication during my pregnancy with my youngest son. I had almost 160 seizures during the pregnancy plus I was a horrible person to be around due to the constant irritability. It was horrible. My son was delivered early to try to get me on a better medicine. My doctor suggested we try it again after the pregnancy and it still didn't work. Horrible medicine!"

• cjw
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 11, 2022

Keppra (levetiracetam) "I nearly died in hospital from epilepsy. My doctor prescribed Keppra and now I take Keppra at home my epilepsy problems have gradually disappeared. I take it three times a day in liquid form and it is easy to take but it doesn’t taste good"

• Livin...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 26, 2021

Keppra (levetiracetam) "I started Keppra XR in 2010, 2250 mg daily and have been seizure FREE to-date. First month was a bit rough as I felt disoriented and fatigued. Had a bit of a hiccup when my NOT so usual doctor switched me to immediate release generic. That was terrible! Suicide ideation, anger, and hostility. Life was really awful within 24 hours on that crap! Even got in trouble with the law by day two! Knowing that wasn’t me, I went back to my regular and much loved doctor. Although not covered under my HMO, I needed my doctor and Keppra XR Brand. I have no side effects other than I sometimes feel a little euphoric about an hour after my morning dose. Very satisfied with the results and living my best life."

• smokey
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 28, 2023

"Started taking levetiracetam 1750mg per day in 2001 along with diazepam. My problem surfaced when I was 8 and had an aura.(1958) No drugs where used until I was 11. Nothing was 100% effective until that combo in 2001. But they both gave up in late 2005, had brain surgery in 2006 and it was great but will be taking levetiracetam for the rest of my life. No seizures since my operation. Best drug ever for me, all drugs prior never had total control. Good luck."

• crystal
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 29, 2015

"Ive been taking Levetiracetam for 10 years now. I take 500mg 2X daily. The first 4 years I experienced little side effects like strange sleep patterns, always tired, and a slight disruption in my ability to concentrate. My seizures were reduced to only 3-4 a year vs. 1-2 a week. In the last five years however the long term side effects have hit me hard...muscle and bone weakness, sciatica, migraines, hair loss, no energy, bouts of rage where I feel outside my body watching a mad woman ( I have always been a calm collected person who never yelled and rarely felt anger), the anger is overwhelming. Suicidal ideation, severe depression, complete lack of concentration, inability to think of words ( which is devastating for my love of writing)"

• bianc...
• September 30, 2009

Keppra (levetiracetam) "I have had epilepsy since age 13. My doctor put me on keppra and lamictal xr. It's only been a week and I have a lot of the same side effects you all are getting so I called my doctor and I'm going back to see him next week."

• KS616
• March 7, 2021

Keppra (levetiracetam) "So far I’ve been on Keppra for 1 week. My experience is short with this drug, but so far it has been a life saver. I’ve had no side effects yet. I was switched off of Topamax after recording more than 24 side effects on the minimum dosage of 25mg. I ended up being allergic to it, and it was so bad for me. On Keppra I finally feel like myself again. It’s a Godsend for me, personally. I feel like I got my life back."

• Trey
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 2, 2020

"Was on eplim 200mg for 47 yrs I am turning 51. It was first medicine change when I was put on levetratim 500mg twice a day in December and gradually weaning off Epilim at the same time right up to June. In-between April and September my moods were all over the place. It was affecting me and I didn't know why July 20th I ended up in hospital first with suspected stroke ended up partial seizure back in again 9th August after taking 3 seizure they up my meds to 750mg twice a day week later I was hallucination shaking anxiety seizures suicidal even broke my marriage . Hospital say I have to come off meds so now waiting to see neurologist"

• RC25
• March 24, 2015

"I had 4 grand mal seizures in a week and was prescribed the generic Keppra, Levetiracetam. At first I had no appetite what so ever and lost about 20lbs after taking it for a month. I also had extreme constipation that required another visit to the ER. However, once being on the medication for a couple months, I started to get my appetite back, but I craved different foods, mostly healthy foods, instead of the food I use to eat. I also take vitamin D, B and folic acid, which I think has significantly improved my mood. I feel after some adjusting this medication improved my mood, stopped my seizures, lessened my anxiety and changed my eating habits. I will say I have an aversion to meat. I can hardly stand to look at red meat."

• Pbano
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 15, 2020

"Hi! I'm 22 years old. Had brain haemorrage at the age of 19, later had an open head surgery for avm at 20.. been taking levipill 500mg twice a day since then. Thankfully I had no seizures or epilepsy till date but the side effects are worse. I have horrible mood swings, agitation, lack of finding words to speak, zoned out, not able to socialise with anyone even family, prefer being alone, irritability, can't control emotions, crying a lot, suicidal thoughts. What I would easily sweep under the carpet, those things outrage me now. Really wanna share my feelings, I'm not this, but idk why I can't. Wanna get rid of this asap..but the doc says I need to take this lifelong to avoid seizures. Can't get worse!!"

• LouR
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 23, 2016

"This drug has changed my life . I take it along with Tegretol CR. I was having continued absence seizures regularly until I started taking this. Since then i have been completely free of those invasive seizures."

• Anonymous
• December 20, 2016

"I had my first episode when I was 12 months. The side effects I get are decrease in appetite, forget minor things, & headaches. They couldn't tell what was wrong with me at that time. At the age of 12 years old I had my 2nd episode in my sleep. I found myself crawling to my parents room because I couldn't walk or talk correctly. When I went to the hospital they diagnosed me with epilepsy. What causes my seizures is an enlarge blood vessel on the right side of my brain. I started off with 750mg of Levetiracetam. I only had episodes when I missed 1-3 days of my medicine. Now I will be 19 years old in April & I am now taking 500mg of Levetiracetam. They're lowering the doses as I get older."

• Anonymous
• March 3, 2016

"I had a heart attack and had a stent which led to a stroke and the need for brain surgery. Miraculously, I was saved by a young neurological surgeon. Seizures followed but the recovery the first 3 months on a lot of different medication made the outlook positive. Medication was lowered and I started experiencing what we feared were TIAs but was finally diagnosed as a form of epilepsy. The first medications did not work well until I have been on Levetiractam for 6 months and everything has improved a lot during that period including memory and mood. I do have the sleepiness at night but not a problem."

• ROY
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 10, 2022

"Just wanted to do a follow-up to my comment @ 14 months ago. I am now on 400mg daily of Vimpat. I am no longer on levetiracetam however I am still experiencing side effects of levetiracetam cognitive issues/confusion/dizziness/lightheadedness/anxiety/depression. I worked corrections & was a go getter & very good at my job, now I don't want to leave the house & struggle at jobs. I have had 3 EEG's & 1 MRI, I still have seizure activity & medical professionals I have discussed my side effects I had with levetiracetam state I may never get back to my normal self. My neurologist has never addressed this possibility and told me 14 months ago nobody has problems with Keppra/levetiracetam. Please advocate for yourself when encountering med change"

• A NAME
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 8, 2021

Keppra (levetiracetam) "Keppra has been the only thing that controls my seizures. It is dangerous at higher doses. It gave me suicidal fantasies and a bi polar like personality. When I lowered the dose I feel more stable with a joy for life, but I am so fatigue 24/7. After taking it 20 years my memory is shot and I am scared I am going to get early onset dementia. However, an Epileptic has to think about surviving each day without having a seizure in a dangerous circumstance that could kill or seriously injure themselves and others. So although Keppra is not perfect by any means and it will take a lot of experimentation for the right dose, it gave me the best chance at a normal life, seizure free."

• cocnuts...
• December 2, 2011

"My 9 year old daughter takes this 500mg 2 times a day and it does lower the seizures by a few but not enough for the major mood swings she has been having. She is happy 1 minute and like the flip of a switch she is so angry and hard to reason with. Six medicines and not one has made a change for the better."

• Lucia...
• October 22, 2016

"At present I am taking Lamotrigine 25mg four times a day. Due to some speech problems during the past six months it was decided that I should change to another drug called Levetiracetam. I have looked up the side effects for this tablet and find that the tablet has more side effects than Lamotrigine. What makes Levetiracetam any better to use when the side effects are horrific."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 10, 2021

Keppra (levetiracetam) "I was prescribed this drug after my first episode, didn't have the second seizure until three years later after missing a couple of doses. So I assume it worked well and I didn't suffer any physical side effects as my doctor kept monitoring the drug level through blood tests until she found the right amount. HOWEVER, this drug literally made me a very horrible person, a bad guy, someone that I remember and I feel disgusted by, I feel embarrassed. I ruined some relationships and career opportunities. I was put into SSRIs and they didn't help but made things worse. I was in a rage all the time, I call it Kepprage After another violent seizure, I was prescribed Lamictal which counterbalanced Keppra's psychological side effect"

• Anonymous
• January 2, 2018

"I am currently on Keppra 600mg, gabapepentin, 1500mg, clonazepam 1mg, vimpac 1000mg. I have had epilepsy since age 12 and am now 60. I have a head ache and am seizuring, mostly at night. My blood pressure is very low and I am exhausted. "

• Mbap
• October 11, 2020

"Been on this medication for over 15 years. I suffer with epilepsy and several types of seizures. would recommend keppra control and “prevent” upcoming seizures. I would def recommend keppra for people suffering light seizures or epilepsy consuming medications daily to PREVENT attacks. However, you will NOT be able to rely on it during ur heavy attacks. You would need diazepam Rectal tube or seroquel to immediately calm u down within seconds. Advice, pls take note to ALWAYS have an emergency medication as when ur loved ones under a sever epilepsy attack u would be able to help them with diazepam rectal tube 5mg or seroquel tablet which immediately calms them down within seconds - Stops the hallu, anxiety, seizures and calms u down. Take note to ONLY take it WHEN NEEDED as those medications are highly addictive. If ur on keppra. Stick with it :) Take note that it only helps PREVENT seizures and it has the least side effects :) no depression! Amazing!"

• Lou
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 23, 2020

"I have been taking 3000mg daily for several months now. I have every side effect possible that I need a Carer as I cannot manage daily living. This is my fourth brand of AED in 6 months as the side effects are so terrible. I have had epilepsy for 42 yrs and only since being on AEDs that I have been this bad. Trial and error til I find what works best as I have other health conditions which limits the choices of meds"

• roy
• December 29, 2020

"Question, question, question your doctor. I was on Dilantin for 35+ years and my seizures were well under control. No seizures since 1988. This year (2020) my neurologist decided as I am getting older Dilantin will not be good for my bones. My neurologist put me on levetiracetam. I have never taken off brand/generic because there is just the slightest difference. Well, where to begin with issues I had with levetiracetam. I looked, literally, like the walking dead and could count every bone besides the anxiety, moodiness, loss of appetite, weight loss (30 lbs), snapping at my dogs, cats & family for no reason. I checked off each & every side effect AND made my own additional list. Couldn't work because the side effects were so bad. Severe side effects. Worst med I have ever taken!!!!!"

• Forge...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 6, 2020

"I suffered from delirium from this medication levetiracetam. I didn't even remember my own name. I was in the hospital for a week and they said if I didn't come out of it within 5 days I would never come out of it. I came out on the 5th day."

• Squir...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 6, 2017

"I've been on an ever-increasing dose for over a year now; this med doesn't want to stay in my system. I'm currently at 2k mg/day, and it still doesn't register in the blood test as a therapeutic dose. Despite this, even when I first started at very low doses, I had immediate reactions. Some very bad; killed my immune system and I got a cough so bad I cracked 2 ribs. Some very good; somehow, my long-distance vision improved. Neurologist suggested I'm in a state of "near-constant aura" from migraines and this med reduced that, along with some facial numbness I didn't know I had until it went away. Seizures are controlled while it's in my system."

• Mom
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 16, 2021

"I’ve been receiving this medication for years, I take 1000mg twice a day. Since 1992 I’ve been taking this medication and for some reason, when the bottle comes directly from the manufacturer, there’s never the right amount of medication in the bottle. Every bottle I’ve received from the CVS store is cut short one 2 tablets. When this happens it throws my refill off by at least 2 days. Sadly now I’ll be short once more. I received a letter stating my insurance will not be covering this script. How in the world will I survive without my seizure medication. Currently take two different medication to keep my seizures under control. Can you please explain? CVS says my script will cost over 1000$, there’s no way I can afford to purchase this medication."